The “Sawa” (Together) programme, which was launched in Jordan to help disabled members of the vulnerable Syrian refugee communities and their Jordanian counterparts, was designed to provide integrated services for rehabilitation, socio-psychological assistance, empowerment and inclusion, with a special focus on Paralympic sports training and Peer Counseling activities.

The project is designed to offer support to a wide range of people - without any form of discrimination - who are faced with problems relating to protection -  with a special focus on young disabled people. It involves 46 young men and women between the ages of 15 and 50 and their families, who are involved in Paralympic training in disciplines such as table tennis and weights, to develop their individual skills.

Thanks to a collaboration with the Jordanian Paralympic Committee, the training takes place in Amman’s fully equipped “Sport City”. As well as boosting participants’ socio-psychological  status, the training sessions also contribute to their physical rehabilitation and strength.

An expert disabled Peer Counselor will hold 30 weekly sessions for a target group of 30 disabled people from the Syrian refugee community and their host-country counterparts. The main focus of this Peer Counseling process is regaining a feeling of independence, rebuilding personal relationships and Social Reform (taking part in rights advocacy work, as fully active and participating members of society).

This initiative is part of a larger programme developed over many years in Jordan by Un Ponte Per, focusing on the integration and protection of Syrian and Jordanian disabled people.